1. About Me I am 35 years old, a mother of four, a wife, and I’m currently a stay at home mom. I live in Cranberry Lake, which is small town way up in Northern NY! The school that my children attend consists of 7 neighboring towns and they still only have around 20 kids per grade! My kids: Monica 9 Kailyn 12 Kelly 3 Jayden 15

2. Professional Background and experience  I am currently enrolled in the MAED program and working towards becoming an elementary teacher. I should be graduating in February of 2017. I still have to do student teaching and become licensed. I believe that my MAED will give me an advantage to achieve the position that I want as an educator.  The only experience I have so far is substituting a handful of times. Once my last son was born, I decided to stay home with him until he is off to school which is still another year away. My favorite thing to do is crafts! From crocheting, knitting, learning how to use the sewing machine, painting, making scrapbook journals, etc. I love it! I should have became an art teacher or a home and career skills teacher.

3. Background as a k-12 student  I grew up in Tupper Lake, NY which is about 25 miles from here where I attended L.P. Quinn Elementary school (K-6) and Tupper Lake Jr/Sr High School (7-12).  My 4 th grade teacher Ms. Reid made a lasting impression on me; she was my favorite. She was caring, sweet, and motherly. As a shy student, I really found comfort and felt safe in her classroom.  In high school, my 9 th grade English teacher was the same as my 4 th grade one. I loved her class. Another teacher that leaves a lasting impression is my 12 th grade Social Studies teacher, Mr. Button. He made class fun and interesting.

4. Action research vs traditional research  My early understanding of action research is research used to solve a problem. I’m hoping that I get a better understanding of this class and how I can use it in the future as an educator.  Traditional research would be used to learn about things including problems.